Shovel Ready is the debut novel by Adam Sternbergh, who takes the idea of a post-apocalyptic New York City to a whole new level.

Sternbergh’s Shovel Ready follows Spademan, who used to be a garbageman. And he still is. Kind of.

The type of garbage Spademan takes care of now is of the human variety. He’s the ultimate anti-hero, though he’d be hard pressed to describe himself like that. As he says within the first few chapters, he’s just the bullet. Point and shoot.

With his latest job, it seems like more of the same. Someone wants someone else taken care of, and they found his number. Straightforward, right?

Not quite. Spademan never asks questions, but sometimes he happens upon information by accident. And the information he learns about his latest target is shocking, to say the least. And it changes everything.

Now Spademan has a new target. And this time he’s the one shooting.

‘Shovel Ready’ review:

Shovel Ready is an incredible mix of genres that defies being placed in one category or another. It’s part dystopian, part techno-thriller, part black comedy, and part something else entirely that’s wholly unique.

Sternbergh’s novel sets a fast pace from the first paragraph and does not relent until you hit the last word on the last page of the last chapter. Quick and full of action, you won’t have time to breathe, let alone time to put this book down.

Think Dexter with less of a conscience (if you can believe that), and add in a futuristic New York City that’s practically vacant thanks to the dirty bomb that hit it years ago. Spademan still sticks around, though, and so do some other people. Only, most of the people are caught in the limnosphere.

The limnosphere is a dream world. So, in that case, think Dexter meets Inception. And Spademan is still the garbageman. Sternbergh’s voice is strong and unique, and his book is full of one-liners you’ll want to write down to remember forever. It shows us that technology is dangerous, but in the end, humans even more so.

About the Author

Sternbergh is the culture editor of The New York Times Magazine. He was formerly an editor-at-large for New York magazine, and has written for GQ, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Times of London, and appeared on the radio program This American Life. He also was the co-editor of the satirical celebrity website Fametracker. Living in Brooklyn, he is working on a Shovel Ready sequel, Near Enemy, to be published in 2015.

Shovel Ready is available now. Add it to your Goodreads list, and purchase it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.